Your Business Is Growing. Your Operations Shouldn't Be What's Holding It Back.
I work with founders and leadership teams to remove the operational friction that slows execution and to put the right systems in place to support growth - without the cost of a full-time CIO.
Results-Focused Services
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Where is your business leaking revenue, time, or capacity - and what’s blocking growth?
What I help a business do:
Identify bottlenecks slowing revenue growth
Reduce manual work and operational drag
Improve customer / internal workflow efficiency
Unlock capacity without adding headcount
What’s included:
Leadership + workflow review
Revenue / cost friction mapping
Process breakdown across key operations
Prioritized improvement roadmap (quick wins + structural fixes)
Deliverable:
“Where you’re losing money or speed today” report
30/60/90-day action plan
Pricing:
$1,500 – $3,000 -
Where can AI and automation actually increase output, reduce cost, or accelerate growth in your business today?
What I help a business do:Reduce labor-intensive work
Increase throughput without hiring
Improve speed of delivery or service
Identify real (not theoretical) AI use cases tied to ROI
What’s included:
Core workflow analysis (sales, ops, service, admin)
Identification of high-ROI automation opportunities
Tooling and data feasibility check
Implementation sequencing (what to do first for impact)
Deliverable:
“Top 5–10 ROI automation opportunities”
Execution roadmap tied to business value
Pricing:
$2,000 – $5,500 -
Is your business operating in a way that can actually scale revenue, margins, and execution—or is structure holding you back?
What I help a business do:
Align leadership on priorities and execution
Fix breakdowns between teams, systems, and decision-making
Improve speed of execution on strategic initiatives
Ensure tech and operations support growth (not slow it down)
What’s included:
Executive interviews
Organizational + process flow review
Systems and vendor alignment check
Growth readiness analysis
Deliverable:
Executive “scale readiness” report
Recommended operating model changes
6–18 month execution roadmap
Pricing:
$3,500 – $9,000 -
For organizations that need sustained CIO-level leadership without the full-time cost, I offer ongoing fractional engagement at three levels. Most clients begin with an assessment and transition into one of these retainer models.
Tier 1 — Advisory $3,000–$5,000 / month
Best for leadership teams that need a senior strategic thought partner for technology, operations, and systems decisions without deep day-to-day involvement.
What's included:
Two strategic sessions per month
Async advisory support (email/Slack)
Vendor and platform decision support
Prioritization and roadmap guidance
Tier 2 — Growth Partner $6,000–$10,000 / month
Best for companies actively navigating operational change, system transitions, or scaling challenges that require consistent weekly engagement.
What's included:
Weekly working sessions
Initiative and execution oversight
Cross-functional alignment support
Monthly executive summary and recommendations
Vendor and delivery accountability
Tier 3 — Embedded Executive $12,000–$20,000 / month
Best for organizations that need a CIO-level leader embedded in the business — driving transformation, attending leadership meetings, and owning the technology and operations agenda.
What's included:
Deep-dive weekly engagement
Leadership team participation
Hands-on initiative leadership
Full strategic and operational oversight
Direct accountability for execution outcomes
Why I Do This Work
I'm Mike Nelson, a business and technology executive with 20+ years of experience leading product, operations, and technology transformations across PE-backed enterprises, staffing companies, healthcare organizations, and growing startups.
Most of my career has been spent helping organizations make better decisions about how to grow, and then turning those decisions into practical execution.
I’ve worked across a wide range of environments, from large, complex corporations to smaller, fast-moving startups. That breadth has shaped how I approach business problems and given me a clear view of what drives success at different stages of growth: what creates momentum, what slows execution, and what leaders often need in order to get unstuck.
I bring together formal business education, including an MBA, with a technical foundation in systems and technology, along with years of hands-on leadership experience. In practice, that combination shows up in how I work: I focus on making decisions that are grounded in real business outcomes, while still being practical about how those decisions get implemented across teams, operations, and systems.
Over time, I’ve found I’m most effective in the space where strategy meets execution - where leadership decisions about growth, customers, and priorities intersect with the operational reality of how a business actually runs. That’s where I help teams simplify complexity, create alignment, and move forward with clarity.
What I enjoy most is working with leaders to step back, clarify what really matters, and make confident decisions about where to focus, what to change, and how to scale. The goal is always the same: better decisions, stronger execution, and a business that runs more effectively as it grows.
This work is an extension of that mindset - partnering with organizations to bring structure to ambiguity, improve execution, and help turn strategy into outcomes that actually move the business forward.
Ready to Find Out Where Your Business Is Losing Speed or Revenue?
Send a brief note about your business and what's on your mind. I respond within one business day.